Book about 1960s space race gives new meaning to loving someone to the moon and back
Earth is the sideline and also the main setting in a new book that explores the risk taken by astronauts and their families during the 1960s space race.
Far Side of the Moon, by Edmonton author Liisa Jorgensen, retells the story of the first men to see the moon's other face during the Apollo 8 mission.
Commander Frank Borman and pilots William Anders and James Lovell Jr. made history during the December 1968 space trip, which was considered an overall success.
Frank Borman appears in this photo from 1968. (Source: NASA)
Frank Borman appears in this photo from 1968. (Source: NASA)
But there had been no guarantee of that when the men were still on Earth, or even that they'd return.
In her first book, based on a series of interviews with Borman about his relationship with his wife, Susan Borman, Jorgensen explores the toll of NASA's goals on a woman watching her husband risk his life in the name of science.
"In my research, (I) started realizing that the wives had not really been represented," Jorgensen said.
"I didn't want them to ever come off as being victims in any way. They very much believed in what their husbands were trying to accomplish and so they supported them in any way they could, even though there was a very good chance they would end up widows."
Far Side of the Moon, by Edmonton author Liisa Jorgensen, retells the story of the first men to see the moon's other face during the Apollo 8 mission and the impact their mission had on their families.
Far Side of the Moon, by Edmonton author Liisa Jorgensen, retells the story of the first men to see the moon's other face during the Apollo 8 mission and the impact their mission had on their families.
Jorgensen began interviewing Borman, now 93, at his Montana home in 2019.
She says the conversations provided an intimate glimpse into the years surrounding 1968, when pressure and attention on Borman's mission were highest.
An earlier Apollo catastrophe killed three astronauts. Borman was tasked with the redesign to carry men to the moon, also effectively the space program's last lifeline. There would have been no Apollo 11 without Apollo 8.
"So you can imagine he just wasn't around," Jorgensen told CTV News Edmonton.
The astronauts' wives were overnight celebrities, expected to dress a certain way and often followed by reporters.
Susan Borman is shown in this photo from 1965. Source: NASA
Susan Borman is shown in this photo from 1965. Source: NASA
"That amount of stress at some point comes up, and it did later."
The writer said Borman was "very open and honest about everything, the ways that he felt he contributed to her suffering."
"He wasn't trying to gloss anything over at this point in his life."
In fact, Jorgensen said the astronaut didn't even hesitate when she proposed the book -- she believes to give his late wife a voice.
Far Side of the Moon, by Edmonton author Liisa Jorgensen, retells the story of the first men to see the moon's other face during the Apollo 8 mission and the impact their mission had on their families. She is pictured here, left, with Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman. The book is based on interviews with Borman about his eight-decades-long relationship with Susan Borman.
The Bormans' relationship spanned eight decades. Susan died with Alzheimer's in September 2021. Jorgensen met the non-verbal woman once; she says Susan smiled as they held hands.
"I think she would say thank you. I know I would."
The book, subtitled Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman and the Woman Who Gave Him Wings, goes on sale in December.
Jorgensen and her husband's company, Myth Merchant Films, also has the rights to develop a movie and has begun work on a script.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
NEW 'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Miller scores late as Canucks grind out 3-2 win over Oilers in Game 5
J.T. Miller scored in the final minute of the game and the Vancouver Canucks came back for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.